Blinder foe hoeses



(No Model.)-

B'. RICE.

BLINDER FOR HORSES.

Patented'Jan. 1; .1884.

v INVENTUFii ATTESTI I MM S UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Y BERNARD RICE, OF BROOKLYN, N EVV YORK.

BLINDER FOR HORSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,229, dated January 1, 1884.

Application filed May 1'1, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD RICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of- New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blinders for Horses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawlngs.

My invention relates to devices for blinding horses, such as described in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me June 11, 1878, No. 204,844. 7

The object of my present invention is to simplify the construction and operation of said devices to which end it consists in the novel means hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 shows the blinder in side view in position on a horses head. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof.

Similar letters indicate similar parts.

The letters A A designate two plates of sheet metal or other suitable material, which are bowed or curved lengthwise in the proper manner to fit across the forehead of a horse.

To the opposite ends of the upper plate, A,

.are fixed arms B, while to an intermediate portion thereof is connected chain, 0, (one or more,) or cord or strap, and when the de vice is applied to use, said arms are attached to the check-strap, as by screw-clamps K, while the chains 0 are connected to the top strap of the bridle or other harness of a horse in such a manner that theplates are thereby secured in the proper position on the forehead of a horse just above the eyes. Other means may be used for securing the plates to the harness. The "lower plate, A, is left detached from the plate A, and to it is connected one end of a curtain, D, (seen in dotted outline in Fig. 1,) which is of a width approximately equal to the length of the plates, and the other end of which is connected to the plate A. To this curtain D is connected one end of two levers, E, which are provided at a the other end with loops F for connecting with cords or reins, and which are mounted in the arms B by pivots G, having thereon "coiled springs H in such a manner that by the action of these springs the upper or curtainconnected end of the levers is thrown toward the plates. Thus under normal conditions the curtain D is folded into theplates A by the action of the spring H, while if the lower or rein end, F, of the levers is drawn backward the curtain is thereby unfolded and lowered in the required manner, as indicated in Fig. 1. The curtain D is fastened to the upper and lower plates, A A, and is so constructed that it will fold fan-like into the upper plate when closed.

To the loops E are connected cords which pass lengthwise over the reins, and by which the curtain may be lowered over the eyes of the horse by the driver simply pulling said cord, and when it is desired to close the curtain the driver slackens the cord and the curtain closes in the upper plate, A, automatically.

For the purpose of keeping the curtain D in its lowered position, catches I, of hooked shape, are hung t0 the supporting-arms B of the plate, to engage with the unfolding-levers.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A horseblinder consisting of a bowed plate, having means for securing it to the harness of a horses head, of a curtain connected to said plate at one end to fold therein, unfolding lever-arms pivoted to the forked supporting-plates, having one end connected to said curtain, and the other end adapted to be connected with cords or reins,and the folding-springs on said leverarms with a tendency to throw the curtain connected end thereof toward the plate, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the plates, of the curtain, the arms, the levers, the foldingsprings attached to the plate-supporting arm B, and the catches I, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD RICE.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS CLARE BOWEN, O. H. CRAWFORD. 

